Yamal And Mbappé Headline Blockbuster Semifinal: What To Know For France vs. Spain

Tuesday's 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal between Spain and France at Dallas Stadium is a true blockbuster between two teams with legitimate grounds to consider themselves the best in the world.

Here is everything you need to know for Tuesday at the World Cup:

When: Tuesday, July 14, 3 p.m. ET

Where: Dallas Stadium

TV: FOX

Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One

France and Spain are heavyweights in world soccer, and recent matches between the two national teams indicate that little separates them.

In October 2021, France defeated Spain 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League final. Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead in the 64th minute before Karim Benzema equalized two minutes later. Kylian Mbappé eventually found a winner in the 80th minute.

The two teams saw their paths cross again in the semifinals of Euro 2024, where Spain won 2-1 in Munich. Randal Kolo Muani opened the scoring for France in the 9th minute before Lamine Yamal equalized in the 21st minute, and Dani Olmo found the winner in the 25th minute.

The most recent meeting came last year in the semifinal of the 2025 UEFA Nations League, where Spain edged France 5-4 in a high-scoring thriller.

Spain had a 5-1 lead into the 79th minute before France mounted a furious comeback attempt that fell just short of an equalizer. Yamal finished with two goals, while Mbappé had one from the penalty spot.

If history is any indication, Tuesday’s game at the World Cup could be special.

Despite Spain getting the upper hand in the last two major games between the two, France should be considered the favorite, and the main reason for this is Ousmane Dembélé.

Prior to this World Cup, Dembélé had never scored for France in a major tournament. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner has finally translated his incredible talent to the international game. With his goal against Morocco in the quarterfinal, Dembélé now has five goals and two assists at this tournament.

Dembélé’s surge within France has only made things even easier for Kylian Mbappé, who is well on pace to become the greatest World Cup player of all time. With one title under his belt, Mbappé has 20 career World Cup goals, which is just one behind leader Lionel Messi. But Mbappé has 12 career World Cup knockout goals, which is the most in the history of the tournament. He is also the only player to have over 10 goal involvements in two different World Cups.

Then there is Michael Olise, who has five assists at this World Cup and can be considered the best midfielder of this tournament.

France has had players of this caliber for years, but never has all its best offensive players been in such great form at the same time.  If that continues into this week, Spain could be in trouble.

But Spain deserves to be very confident. Its possession and defense gradually frustrate and wear opponents down. Head coach Luis de la Fuente also has Spain playing well under his watch. Spain under de la Fuente has been consistently good, even after winning Euro 2024.

Under de la Fuente, Spain has won all seven of its knockout-stage matches in major tournaments (Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026). It took opponents 649 minutes to score against Spain at this World Cup. Spain was only scored upon in its 2-1 quarterfinal win over Belgium.

Against France, Spain will need performances from central midfielders Pedri and Rodri, who are typically elite in possession and often have opponents chasing the game trying to win the ball back. If there is anything that could frustrate France, it would be struggling to keep possession.

Lamine Yamal was nominated for the most recent Ballon d'Or as a teenager but has just one goal at this World Cup. He is young and has played well, but he is capable of more. Similarly, forward Mikel Oyarzabal is yet to score in the knockouts, and he needs to match the level of Mbappé and Dembélé for Spain to win.

From what we have seen at this World Cup, France should be the favorite, but a broader look at history tells us this is too close to call and will not be over until the final whistle.

While still only in his prime years at age 27, Mbappé is already chasing historic records. He already has the most knockout goals in World Cup history, but a goal against Spain would have him tie Messi for the most ever career World Cup goals. A brace would then have Messi chasing Mbappé for the World Cup record.

It is rare when you know someone is so historically good before the end of his career, but that is where Mbappé is. He has another chance in this game to elevate both him and France in the context of all-time great status.

Could Yamal be the next Mbappé or Messi? After being nominated for the Ballon d’Or as an 18-year-old and leading Spain to the European Championships in 2024, there is a strong foundation for him to become one of the all-time greats.

But Yamal has just one goal in this tournament, despite still playing well most of the time. This will be a huge opportunity for him to win the types of games that the greatest players frequently do.